distorted faces

[foofs]

I have been having experiences of "hallucinations", although not sure that is what it is. I wake up, and I am definitely awake, and I see distorted faces on the ceiling. The first time it happened, I was back in my mum's flat, I was in my old bedroom, I woke up and saw the whole ceiling covered by distorted faces, going "sliding" from the door to the window. The whole ceiling was covered. This had never ever happened to me before, and I was already about 40. Then I didn't experience anything like this again, until recently, twice in the last fortnight, at home in my own bedroom, the last event was last night. My husband got up, and I opened my eyes, and in one corner of the ceiling, I saw faces, this time one by one, one after this other, conversing, and then disappearing. Although these faces never address me and don't threaten me, it is starting to freak me out, because I know I am not dreaming and I am fully awake, ... I do not take drugs, but I am not a good sleeper and since I can remember, I always have nightmares, never nice dreams ... but this is different, this happens when I am awake, and this can not just be my imagination, I really see this ... i have read a little about hallucinations ... but I just don't think this is right or the answer, why would my mind create all this ? I have not found any recent post, so here I am ...many thanks in advance for reading and any suggestion, explanation welcome ...

[AuraK]

This is an old post but did you ever find out why this was happening to you? Ive had a similar experience in the past when I lived with my parents, at night in my dark room before bed or if I was awakened in during the night sometimes I would see faces. It was like a dark outline, they would float around or even start getting close to me and id just go under the covers, as they moved around the would start getting distorted, it was creepy. It happened at that home alot and one time at a friends. Ive had my own home now for 10 years and since I moved out it hasn't happened at all, weird. I don't know why these hallucinations happened or why they've stopped. I also don't do drugs or even drink alcohol lol

[Jerry_NJ]

Hope I can help, nightmares are not acceptable, we shouldn't have to put up with them.

What I didn't tell you about my experience as a young person, perhaps 10 year old, was my night mares had a common theme.  They all took place in scary places - scary to me, even now.  For example in a dark basement or worse cellar, or a dark alley in the city.  These were places that I did have occasion to deal with when walking home after dark (I didn't have a lot of supervision as a youngster) .  I decided that whenever I was confronted with an environment similar to a nigh mare I would open my eyes wide (rather than "pinch myself") and I did so. After a short time I found myself awake just before the real bad stuff started and realized I had waked myself up, I was in fact dreaming and my practice worked even when I was sleeping.  I soon quit having night mares.  Well I have a night mare on occasions now not even once a month and those are related to my real life phobia about height and falling, or someone breaking into my house never about monsters chasing me as when I was a child-

The only book I read on Lucid Dreaming is by Stephen LeBarge (I think that's the name, he is at Stanford University).  His methods uses the same approach I came up with myself, and he introduces a lot of structure to it.  He uses the term "dream signs" to be those thing you remember from a dream that will tell you you are dreaming... signs that don't occur when awake.  As for the faces you see, I think you are dreaming and think you are not in fact awake.  Just my guess.

I'm still working on beating my trouble mares, they are more resistive because the dreams are just troubles, not really scary, just annoying.  The methods of Dr. LaBerges also makes one more conscious,more seeing,when awake, a value in itself  I liken it to my one time interest in black and white photography where one has to see texture, shade, and form much more than when looking at things in full color.  LaBerge made more conscious of detail in what is before my eyes, detail we all just never really notice.

Good luck,

[foofs]

Thank you Jerry,
Well, no the faces aren't familiar at all, plus they are distorted too. They aren't full of colour. The first time they were all red I think, and the last time, they were with black outlining, but transparent, if that makes sense.
Because I have so many nightmares, sometimes they are horrible, and somehow, I realise how awful that is, and I tell myself in the dream, "please someone wake me up, tell me it's just a dream" but nothing happens and I keep on dreaming in complete distress because I think it's true since I haven't been able to wake up from it ... until I eventually wake up.
But that is a different matter, because on the 3 occasions that I have seen faces floating on the ceiling, I was awake, no doubt about this?
I will certainly look into lucid dreaming, thanks for the advise and thanks for taking the time to respond.

[Jerry_NJ]

Do you recognize any of the faces?   Are the faces in color or back and white, how much detail do you see, if you can next time try to look at detail, look at you watch or clock, does the time look right, look again, is it the same?

Look up lucid dreaming, you may find some interesting parallels to your experience.  This will also expand on what I asked above, as I think you may be engaging a dream with your conscious mind, lucid dreaming.  

You also mention nightmares, the subject of lucid dreaming also considers how to deal with such dreams.

I have what I call trouble mares, and have not taken control via lucid dreaming, but I continue to work on it.  I do recall dealing with night mares in a lucid dreaming fashion when I was a youngster - before reading about he subject which has seen most of its development long after I was a youngster.  I believe lucid dreaming may provide self-help for dealing with dreaming problems.